The Use of Patient-controlled Analgesia for Children Requiring Symptom Management at End of Life: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND: Pain is the most common and distressing symptom for children at the end of life, with management challenges causing significant distress for patients and caregivers. Patient-controlled analgesia allows self-administration of preset medication doses for breakthrough pain and has shown benefits in postoperative and chronic pain management. However, its use and effectiveness in pediatric palliative care remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: To review and synthesize the evidence pertaining to patient-controlled analgesia use for children at the end of life. REVIEW METHODS: A scoping review used the Arksey and O'Malley Framework to identify: (1) utilization of patient-controlled analgesia, including patient groups, advantages, and proxy use; (2) implications, safety, side effects, and impact on pain; and (3) child and parental perspectives. RESULTS: The key finding is a lack of a clearly defined, standardized patient-controlled analgesia policy for use in children at the end of life. Much of the reviewed evidence was organization-dependent, and most related to use for children with a malignant diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required involving patient-controlled analgesia use with children with a nonmalignant diagnosis, including the perspectives of children and parents. Nurses are integral team members and well-positioned to be developers of policies related to patient-controlled analgesia use in children at the end of life. This is a call to action for nurse clinicians, leaders, researchers, and educators to collaborate to identify and implement an evidence-based, effective policy.